Proposals for flood mitigation works at East Taieri need to be taken to residents "with haste", Otago regional councillor David Shepherd says.
A range of flood protection measures, with the preferred options mostly small-scale physical works estimated to cost between $1.77 million and $2.42 million, depending on the options chosen, was yesterday presented to the council's engineering and hazards committee.
The options, which include preventing further development in a corridor alongside the railway, raising existing floodbanks, improving water flow paths, and channel construction, were part of a report by council staff on the "effectiveness and suitability" of additional flood mitigation measures for the East Taieri Plain.
Staff recommended the committee needed to hold a workshop (which is not open to the public) to discuss the options and their rating implications, as well as any planning controls, before going out for public consultation with an "integrated package".
Environmental engineering and natural hazards director Gavin Palmer said the preferred measures would mitigate the flood hazard to varying degrees but would not eliminate the risk of flooding.
Cr Shepherd said he was concerned about time frames, given some residents in East Taieri affected by the 2006 floods were "living in fear and trepidation" every time it rained.
"They've had to wait a long time. We need to move with considerable haste and get it out in the public arena," Cr Shepherd said.
However, Cr Duncan Butcher said if the council did that, then the first question people would ask was: "How much is it going to cost me?".
Who the beneficiaries of the work were, and who would pay, needed to be understood before the council went out to the public, he said.
Cr Shepherd said if a workshop was councillors' preference, it needed to be held soon.
Chief executive Graeme Martin said the workshop could be held during the next committee round in late July.
It was a complex and controversial issue which the council could not tackle alone and it could take time, he said.
Chairman Stephen Cairns said the regional council had met representatives from the Dunedin City Council regarding a district plan change relating to development on flood-prone areas of the Taieri.
"The city is pretty keen on playing a part in a plan change."
Councillors agreed to workshop the options and invite a city council representative to take part.
